Access & Influence

As a pastor I've seen many times, where Satan has used well meaning people to try and derail the vision that God has placed in my heart and the responsibility that God has placed in my hands. People have used phrases like, "God has a word for you" or "I feel so led in my heart to tell you . . ." or "I believe God wants you to . . ."

The reality is that God "can" use anything and anyone, to communicate His truth to His people. In fact, He can even use a jackass to communicate His will. However, I've come to realize that not everyone should have access to me or have influence on me. If I allowed everyone, with an opinion or "word from God" to influence me and the path that God has placed me on, I would be a basket case going every which way but God's.

So, I've come to realize that there really are only a few people who have access to my heart and influence on my life. I'm not going to name names but I will describe these people to you.

First, my wife. She has access to my heart and certainly has influence on my life. Of all the people on the planet, I listen and respect her opinion and observations more than anyone else. She is my life partner and there isn't anyone who has access to me or influence on me, like she does. That's the way God planned it. The two shall become one.

The second group of people who have access to and influence on me, are a few pastors who I know and/or respect. There are a couple of pastors who I communicate with on a consistent basis and if any of these men brought an issue or observation to my attention I would listen in. I would take their concerns seriously and reflect on their thoughts & opinions. There are also a few pastors who God has used, via their blogs, books, messages and podcasts, to influence me on theology, leadership, marriage, responsibility, pastoral roles and many other topics. God has and will continue to use these men to access and influence my life. These man, unknowingly, have influenced me and continue to challenge me on multiple levels.

The final group of people who have access to and influence on me are those people who I do ministry with, week in and week out. These people stand by my side. They are in the trenches with me on a regular basis and if anyone of them came to me with a concern or issue they would have my attention. They have influence on my life because I respect them. We're doing life together, we're serving in ministry together and it must be a two way relationship.

Having said all of the above, there is also a group of people who don't have access to me or influence on my life. These people are the spineless cowards who hide behind anonymous email messages, anonymous blog comments and third party hearsay. These people claim to know God and feel like that fact alone should allow them access to me and influence on me. They have some issue or concern that they want to share and completely violate scripture to get their point across. They don't care about me, they don't care about the ministry that God has called me to, they don't take the time to engage in an authentic conversation and therefore they don't have access to me or influence in my life.

It's not that I'm bitter or upset, it's just that I've come to realize there are some people who have earned the right to speak into my life and there are those who have not earned that right. While this post is stronger than a lot of my posts, it's important that people know my heart.

Who has access and influence on your life? Maybe you need to take some time and evaluate this question so that you too don't get derailed from the life God has for you.

G3,